Category: Business

Kerala Declares an Internet Strike Against High Mobile Data Charges

If you own a smartphone, you know the state of the Indian mobile internet. The speed is pathetic, the access is limited, and the prices are high. The options are limited too as the major companies are monopolistic with the prices being increased unanimously across the board. In the age of heavy inflation, the data charges are a severe blow to the pocket. So the young folks in Kerala are going for an innovative way to protest against these arbitrary rises in data charges by organizing an internet hartal.

Today on the 31st of October, the data subscribers will be disconnecting from their data connections. It is called the All Kerala Internet Hartal. The organizers have said that the reason behind the hartal is to protest against the day to day increase in the prices of data packs. The protest is specifically targeted at AVoId ( Airtel, Vodafone and Idea) who have now become mind-bogglingly huge with a massive number of users dependent on them.

The folks are fed up with their inability to share their grievances with the companies, to which the companies tend to lend a deaf ear. Hartals are a proven way of civil disobedience, and this will definitely make the point across to the other side.

The reason behind the massive leap in prices is the advance of messaging apps like Whatsapp, Hike, Snapchat and others who have caused a severe dent in the SMS revenue. The telecom companies have to pay a heavy sum for renting the spectrums to provide the services, and they want to squeeze every last penny of profit for the sum they invested. But they can also do this by providing cheaper internet and count on the massive users they will bring for the company, specially at the speed Indians are buying smartphones.

People participating in the protest have also used the analogies from history. One of them has given the reference of bread strike in England. “…once in England when bread companies increased their prices, the whole country did not buy bread for few days, and the company had to decrease their price,” says a message.

The sorry state of the internet in India calls for protests like this. We at iGyaan understand the need for a real internet revolution in this country. In the coming days, we’ll be announcing a massive initiative demanding a model internet which compliments a nation that sends spacecrafts to Mars. Keep checking the space for more details in the future.

As for the hartal today, if you agree with the stand of the folks in Kerala, you can support them by switching off your data packs for the day. You can also organize a hartal in your own state. It is also a great way to get rid of all that noise in the digital world and have a glance at the beautiful 3D physical world, at least for a day.

October 31, 2014
It’s Done! Lenovo Now Officially Owns Motorola

Today, Motorola officially announced that Lenovo has completed the acquisition of Motorola Mobility and the company is now a part of the Lenovo family.

Lenovo Group Ltd has finally closed its $2.91 billion acquisition of the Motorola handset unit from Google Inc and is preparing itself for a fresh attack on the U.S smartphone market. The purchase comes as Lenovo, the world’s leading PC maker, is trying to integrate its business into various segments and establish itself as a smartphone maker with global appeal.

Back in 2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility and its patent for $12.5 billion but was unable to revive the company to its old glory.

“The iconic Motorola brand will continue, as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled our growth over the past year,” explains Rick Osterloh, Motorola President, “We will continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades, and remain committed to developing technology to solve real consumer problems.”

“Google will maintain ownership of a majority of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, while Motorola will receive a license to this rich portfolio of patents and other intellectual property,” says Lenovo. Google’s CEO Larry Page said, “Motorola is in great hands with Lenovo, a company that’s all-in on making great devices.”

October 30, 2014
Company Confirms India-Specific OnePlus Invite System to Arrive Soon

OnePlus has already confirmed that it will launch its flagship handset OnePlus One soon in India. Now, the company has confirmed that it will release India-specific invites to prospective ‘One’ consumers online.

OnePlus One, which has been called a ‘Flagship killer’, will continue to sell on an invite-based approach, just like it has done everywhere else. The premium looking device packs in some high-end hardware specifications while maintaining a relatively cheaper price tag. But the phone has been criticized for one reason; its scarce availability.

The company director (Global), Carl Pei, in his latest blog post, besides wishing Indians’ a belated Happy Diwali, announced the cheerful news of releasing India-specific OnePlus One invites to the fans.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in just the last week and are grateful to all of our partners who took time during their holiday to help us move this forward. We’ll be ready to share some very exciting updates with you in the coming weeks. But for now, we wanted to talk a little about how you’ll be able to get the One in India.” Pei added.

The company said that like other countries, Indian users will be able to purchase the One with an India-specific invite. According to Carl Pei, invites have been immensely helpful for the company so far and they allow them to control their inventory, scale their team and support services to grow along with the demand and create an overall better experience for the users. “As this is our first experience with the Indian market, we didn’t want to be too ambitious. We are more concerned with offering outstanding service and experiences to users than getting the One in as many hands as possible. It will take us some time to learn, and the invites are a great way for us to do that.” Carl further stated.

Besides introducing invitation-only registration process, the company is also in talks with some e-commerce websites to offer OnePlus One in India. If all things fall in place, the flagship phone is expected to set a mark in the Indian market by December end for around Rs. 25,000.

October 29, 2014
In a Post-Nokia World, Microsoft Unveils the New Microsoft Lumia Branding

With the era of Nokia coming to a close, a new phone ecosystem will take its place. Microsoft has unveiled the new branding for its smartphone line-up which will now be known as Microsoft Lumia. As a part of the transition, the websites and social media pages are already on the move from the old Nokia to new Microsoft’s mobile pages.

To make its name prominent on the device, the Microsoft name will be featured prominently on the front and back of devices. According to the acquisition agreement, Microsoft had a good 18 month long period for them to transition from the Nokia brand for its smartphone business. The Nokia name will not be completely scratched out yet. Microsoft still has a 10-year license to use the Nokia brand on basic phones. This was a really shrewd move by Microsoft as Nokia has immense brand recognition in the basic phone market. Microsoft can use it to their advantage to have a constant stream of income through this channel. It is not a resource intensive segment either so Microsoft can literally make easy cash off Nokia’s heavy lifting.

Microsoft won’t have an easy ride in the market. Though its devices have been commended for superior performance and with the 8.1 update, the Lumia ecosystem have got an immense boost. But the devices have failed to find users in the market that is ruled by Google and Apple. Mobility segment is important for the future of Microsoft as an institution. With the speedy shift towards mobility by the enterprise segment, Microsoft’s core consumers are at stake. With the one platform ideology of the upcoming Windows 10 OS, the company can make some gains in the mobility market too. We just need to wait until next year to see how it all works out for Microsoft.

October 24, 2014
Satya Nadella Becomes One of the Highest Paid Tech Executives

Indians love the sound of the phrase, ‘pay package’. It rings a mental cash register in their heads when they hear it followed five or six figure numbers. It figuratively goes “cha-chinng”. But listening to what Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella has achieved will make all the traditional Indian fathers sigh that they can’t ask him to marry their daughters.

Satya Nadella has scored a whopping $84 Million pay package. This, of course, will be dispensed to him in a long period of time, but it still is more than what normal Indians can think of and what corrupt politicians might make in a year.

Mr. Nadella is the third in the line of Microsoft CEO’s, after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. He is though the first one to not score a multi-billion dollar holding in the company. But for running the biggest tech company in the world, the $84 Million package sounds alright.

Satya Nadella is the Third CEO for Microsoft in its 38 year history.

This package is indicative of the total remuneration that will be received by Satya Nadella over the years, but his annual gross isn’t low either. He is expected to take home a luxurious $11.6 million.

There have been mixed news coming out of Microsoft’s stable ever since Mr.Nadella took the helms of the company. He was recently heavily berated for saying that women should not ask for a pay rise but have “faith in the system”. He is also the person who oversaw the biggest job cuts in Microsoft’s history, most of them were ex-Nokia employees.

Now you might be imagining him in a Darth Vader helmet but he helped out the business too. He led the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. He will be responsible for the audacious Windows 10 which hopes to do away with all the headaches Windows 8 brought.

For the first non-American CEO in the 38-year history of the world’s biggest tech company, there is still a lot to achieve. We’ll be keeping a vigilant eye on this homeboy and will keep a track on how he plans to keep Microsoft valid in the mobility era.

October 21, 2014
Samsung Pulls the Plug on its Laptop Market in Europe

We all know that Samsung has been going through a rough patch, with thier sales steadily declining in the global market. As the result of the same, Samsung has decided to discontinue selling laptops in Europe. A Samsung spokesperson issued a statement revealing company’s plan to do so is due to a shift in “market demands”.

The Samsung spokesman said: “We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of laptops including Chromebooks for now. This is specific to the region – and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets.”

The decision is the outcome of the several years’ worth of declining PC sales globally. It is also worth noticing that Samsung announced a new Ativ Book laptop running Windows at CES 2014 and a Chromebook 2 later in the year. Also, Western Europe has been one of the better performing markets for laptop sales worldwide over the past decade.

Recent market research has revealed that PC sales had recently stabilized and had projected huge growth in Chromebook sales in the coming years. After eight quarters of declining shipments, worldwide PC shipments experienced flat growth in the second quarter of 2014, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.8 million units in the second quarter of 2014, a 0.1 per cent increase from the second quarter of 2013.

Samsung may resume laptop sales in the region should market conditions change. In the case of Sony, the similar move resulted in significant job cuts. The firm also restructured its TV division and although a handful of staff were moved to the new company, the forecasted total loss of employees amounted to 5,000.

September 24, 2014
Adobe to Expand its Cloud Offering with the New Aviary Acquisition

Adobe offers wide range of cloud-based features for designers and developers which continues to flourish everyday. Now, Aviary just announced that it has been acquired by Adobe. Aviary provides developers (and companies like Yahoo) with a set of photo-editing tools they can build into their own apps.

Adobe plans to integrate Aviary into the Creative Cloud and possibly provide a new “Creative SDK” intended to be more friendly with third-party apps. The two firms will work together on bringing Adobe’s editing tools and Creative Cloud services to more mobile apps.

Adobe said it’s developing a new software library—called Creative SDK—that will allow app developers to tap into the company’s offerings and aim to expand connections between mobile devices and its products. Adobe’s Creative SDK will also give third-party developers access to company application programming interfaces which were previously only available to the company’s internal engineering team.

According to the reports, Aviary has seen 10 billion photos processed through the service last year alone. In addition to a toolkit for developers, Aviary also offers a popular iOS and Android app for editing photos, also called Aviary. Aviary will continue operations as usual for now.

The company hinted at a collaboration with another Adobe unit, Behance, an online social media platform for creative professionals acquired by Adobe in 2012. The Aviary team will work closely with both Adobe-owned creative communities, Behance and Adobe’s creative cloud platform.

September 23, 2014
Apple Reportedly Plans to Kill the Beats Music Service

According to a new report, Beats as a brand is going to fade away as Apple plans to modify it over time and integrate it into its own music streaming service through iTunes. TechCrunch reported that Apple plans to eliminate the Beats Music streaming service, which it acquired in May.

Earlier, the reports said that the Cupertino, California based company will shutdown the service. However, Apple declined the reports saying, “Company (Beats) may modify over time, and one of those changes could involved changing the Beats Music brand.” It is still unclear what Apple is planning to do with the service. It seems quite possible that the Beats Music product could be rolled into iTunes rather than being shuttered.

If Apple rolls Beats Music into iTunes and removes the dedicated Beats Music app from the App Store, it might be the end of the service. Beats Music itself came from a rebranding MOG music streaming service it acquired back in its heydays.

Apple has been tight-lipped about its plans for Beats since it acquired the popular headphone maker back in May for $3 Billion. Prior to the mega launch event of the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch, there had been rumours that Apple will include Beats earphones within the new white box. There was also nothing said about Beats Music during the Apple Watch reveal, even though the service could have worked well on the wearable. Seems like an odd decision on Apple’s part to simply eliminate or ignore a service they paid billions for.

Also, the iPhones which are recently launched did not come pre-installed with Beats Music, while several other Apple apps came loaded on the 6 and 6 Plus. All of these point towards the company’s plan to show red flag to the Beats. This, or they may be working on something and better for the to combine Apple services with Beats. Let’s hope for Beats sake, it’s the latter.

September 23, 2014
Microsoft Hands Out Pink Slips to 2100 Employees

The day has arrived. Microsoft, had previously announced that it would be “restructuring” its business to make it better and nimble. To do this, the company decided to cut 18,000 jobs. This was the biggest job cut in the company’s history. So as planned, the company is slowly cutting its fat down and has now handed pink slips to 2100 employees.

In July this year, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella had sent out a memo to its employees stating that they would be cutting jobs to make “fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways, to accelerate the flow of information and decision-making.” Most of these jobs came from the newly acquired Nokia’s stable.

ZDNet reports that 747 of the employees were situated in Washington, 160 were in California. Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Research arm has also been shut down effective today. There will be one more major job loss coming up. The company had recently got bad press for offering Nokia 630 to workers at the Nokia plant in China for quitting their job.

Microsoft has to take on a whole new world if it wants to be a name that can be a part of the future. It is still the biggest corporation with the Windows operating system holding a monopoly over the computers around the world. But the world is fast moving towards mobile and to succeed in this market, Microsoft has to strive hard.

The job cuts do make business sense, but they will hurt the folks who were dependent on the job for their bread. For now, we can just wait and watch if the biggest job cut in Microsoft’s history actually amounts to anything for the company.

September 19, 2014
Tax Authorities Seize Amazon Warehouse in Bangalore

World’s biggest E-tail giant, Amazon got a jolt from the Karnataka tax authorities yesterday. Amazon’s Bangalore warehouse was taken over by the authorities. The warehouse was dedicated to the ‘Fulfilled by Amazon’(FBA) segment of products. Amazon stores these products in its warehouses and takes care of its delivery to the customers.

A few days back WSJ reported, “The Enforcement Directorate of the Finance Ministry is investigating whether Amazon.com’s fully owned Indian subsidiary has been circumventing restrictions on foreign investment in retail by selling directly to customers while making it look as if the sales are being made by other companies.”

Using Amazon’s Fulfillment service sellers can reduce warehouse and shipment costs.

The Karnataka government went ahead and served notices to over a hundred sellers who used ‘Fulfilled by Amazon’ service. It has ordered them to desist from storing their products in Amazon warehouses. The notice also said the sellers cannot register Amazon’s warehouses as an additional place of business.

There aren’t any set tax regulations for e-commerce businesses as of yet and that lead to this arbitrary action by the authorities. The authorities are known to have said that they cannot let such a practice continue. They should rather find out ways of amicably solving the issue as this could dissuade e-commerce companies from scaling up their functions. This may hamper the growth of the burgoening market.

An Amazon spokesperson said in an email statement to LiveMint, “We understand this to be a case where the laws have not kept pace with the new-age online business models that enable a faster, convenient and nationwide access to customers for sellers, especially small and medium businesses, at significantly low costs. We look forward to an early resolution in order to avoid closing our local warehousing operations in Karnataka and to stay on course for bringing more investments in the state.”

E-commerce is a fast growing segment in this country. India’s e-commerce market was worth about $2.5 billion in 2009; it went up to $6.3 billion in 2011 and to $14 billion in 2012. This year saw many companies going for exclusive tie-ups with several e-commerce websites. E-commerce is also beneficial to the customers as it decreases marketing costs for the company which is passed on the consumer, as was the case with Xiaomi Redmi 1S. The need now is for the government to come up with proper regulations so that issues like this don’t happen in the future. It causes a loss, not just for Amazon, but along with it, the sellers as well as the buyers are left in a limbo.

September 16, 2014
Microsoft Bags Minecraft With the Mojang Acquisition

Microsoft yesterday released a press statement saying that it has acquired Mojang in a massive $2.5 Billion deal. The Stockholm-based game developer is known majorly for its virtual world creation game, Minecraft. This will be a new addition in the list of several big money acquisitions that we have seen this year.

There were many interested parties who wanted to get the gaming company, but Microsoft moved fast to score a victory. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion. Microsoft expects to close the acquisition in late 2014 and to be break-even in FY15 on a GAAP basis.

The Game lets users make complex structures using lego-like blocks.

Minecraft was introduced in 2009 and since then has sold more than 50 million copies for PCs, smartphones and videogame consoles. The game has a huge fan following. YouTube is full of tutorials on Minecraft. There is also an upcoming movie based on the game and Lego also sells toys based on the game. This almost seems like a safe bet from Microsoft and hence they sound so optimistic of their acquisition.

“Gaming is a top activity spanning devices, from PCs and consoles to tablets and mobile, with billions of hours spent each year,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft.”

The weird bit of this sale is that the creator of the game Markus Persson and other founders will not be coming to Microsoft. They have decided to undertake new adventures. On his personal website, Markus said, “Thank you for turning ‘Minecraft’ into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big.”

The game has a massive fan following who share tutorials all over the internet

Impressing the fans now would be a big task for Microsoft. Some of them have openly stated that a big corporation will ruin the game. Microsoft though said that it will do everything in its power to sustain the loyalties of the gamers.

The CEO of Mojang, Carl Manneh has this to say “The ‘Minecraft’ players have taken the game and turned it into something that surpassed all of our expectations. The acquisition by Microsoft brings a new chapter to the incredible story of ‘Minecraft.’ As the founders move on to start new projects, we believe the high level of creativity from the community will continue the game’s success far into the future. ”

Microsoft has said that more details about the deal will be published after the finalization of the acquisition. Microsoft is no stranger to gaming and is a market leader in gaming consoles. The innovation it brings to this game remains to be seen. Let’s hope Microsoft doesn’t make a Vista out of this one.

September 16, 2014
Does the Apple Watch Make Sense For the Indian Market?

Yesterday at the massive event held at Cupertino California, Apple announced its long-awaited smartwatch, the Apple Watch. And we have to admit, this revolutionary device looked stunning. Square face with detachable straps, Apple Watch has an easy to understand interface for working with standard applications. It’s user-friendly, equipped with the new ‘Apple Pay’ remote payment system, and, obviously, comes with amazing watchfaces. With three choices to choose from, Apple Watch, Sport, and Edition, there ought to be something for everybody.

Well, everybody here might refer to be restricted to people from developed country. How much is Apple’s newest technology feasible for a country like ours, where tech such as NFC and Apple Pay wouldn’t be of much use?

Clearly, Apple has put lot of brains and research in the Watch. However, the starting range US$349 (INR 22,000 approx), Apple’s Watch seem quite expensive in Indian market which is ruled by value for money budget devices. The Indian handset market is ruled by Android-powered smartphones. It seems to be a major setback that the Apple Watch requires an iPhone to operate. Which makes its real price much, much higher.

Second major setback, India doesn’t have kind of technology to fully experience the power of Apple Pay, which will be one of the selling points of this device other countries. In India, over the past year, there have been several NFC trials for ticketing in Delhi Metro, in Delhi buses and a movie halls in Mumbai, which failed.

Apple has also tied up with several app developers to create useful apps for their watch. One of the important features which was welcomed yesterday, with a round of applause from the audience, was the ability to open hotel room doors by simply tapping the Apple Watch to the door. This feature was brought out with collaboration with Starwood Hotels, a popular chain in the US. They’ve even teamed up with American Airlines, to automatically show you your flight information and a copy of your boarding pass on your watch. With such apps, Apple Watch eliminated the need to carry around magnetic plastic cards provided by hotels and the need to safe-keep your boarding pass. However, it will take a long time before Indigo Airlines or Taj Hotels invest to work on such technology.

We wouldn’t say that this wearable would fail in our country. It still has several interesting features which would make life simpler, no matter where you’re located on the globe. Apple’s ecosystem is undeniably very strong. The way it lures consumers into the endless arena of iPods, iPhones, Macs, App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV is enviable.

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September 10, 2014
Hold On, The Internet Slowdown Day Is Here

We told you sometime back that America’s communication regulator; the FCC is planning to allow broadband providers to create a fast lane for content providing companies that pay more for more access. This new regulation will deeply harm the independence of the internet and hamper the free exchange of ideas that it provides. It has the potential to pull back internet’s penchant for innovation. The broadband companies are pushing hard for the legislation by the internet companies are pushing back.

To counter the money might of big broadband companies, top internet domains are going for a peculiar protest that will show the future of the internet if the internet provider get their way. Websites like Reddit, Bittorrent, Vimeo, Foursquare, WordPress and Netflix are joining in protest for what is being called the Internet Slowdown Day.

Some of the prominent internet companies will be joining in protest.

The companies will be posing a constant loading symbol to show how by giving fast lane access to highest payers; the internet providers might slow the internet for the rest of us.

Netflix had this to say on Reddit “Consumers, not broadband gatekeepers, should pick the winners and losers on the Internet. While we won’t actually slow down your streams during Internet Slowdown day, look for the symbolic buffering symbol on the Netflix site on Wednesday and join the day of action.”

Net Neutrality has been one of the basic principles of the internet ever since its inception. It states that companies cannot discriminate with information; all information bits on the internet should get the same speed of access. The FCC proposal might change that and allow fast lanes for content providers who can pay more. It will also slow the speed of websites who cannot afford to pay the content delivery fees.

FCC had previously taken into consideration the massive outburst against its proposed move and invited comments from people. This led to a massive inflow of comments that once even crashed the servers especially after John Oliver took on the case.

This is an important issue for internet users everywhere. It’s a cause worth a fight as the level playing field of internet has led to success of giants like Google and Facebook and even helped iGyaan reach you guys without paying unruly fees. So if you like the internet the way it is, learn about Net Neutrality and spread the word and if you see a legislation that aims to scrap it, protest it proactively. It’s the only way of having access to unlimited cat videos without a slowdown.

September 10, 2014
IFA 2014 Roundup: Top 5 Cool New Tech That You Didn’t Hear About

IFA Berlin saw some mega releases including the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia Z3, Microsoft’s Nokia 830 and others. But behind the scene there were some cool new gadgets showcased at the event that were drowned in the immense limelight that was being showered on these devices. So here we list out five cool innovations that you need to check out.

1.    LG 8K TV:

While the world is struggling to bring more content for 4K displays, LG has taken a giant leap in display technology by bringing the world’s first 8K TV. The resolution on this TV is so profound that you’ll say it’s criminal that there is hardly any content that will do justice to the screen. The 98-inch 8K TV has 16 times the resolution of a Full HD screen. The TV is still in its beta stage so it will be a while before it comes to the market.

2.    Samsung’s Bendable TV:

This is one innovation that will get anybody awestruck. A massive OLED TV that bends at a click of a button. The massive 105 UHD screen costs a titanic sum of $260,000. You don’t even need 3D glasses with this TV; the mammoth size is enough to give you an immersive experience. Innovation-wise, this is at par with the Note Edge. Seems after some lazing out, Samsung is back in the game to win.

3.    Sony Portable Short Throw Projector:

Sony’s Short throw projector is capable of turning any surface into a display. It is a miniature version of the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector which took details on a projection screen to the next level. The Cube shaped, portable short throw projector can be wall mounted or just kept on the table. The device projects a 23-inch image, and you can watch all your content on it from images to movies. It is also waterproof so you can keep it on your kitchen top and use it for your recipes. The best part is that, as it’s a short throw projector; it is close to the surface it is projecting on, hence, there are no interrupting shadows on the display. This one is a winner from Sony.

4.   Om/ONE’s Levitating Speaker:

Taiwan-based Aswy and another company called OM/ONE have brought something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Meet the levitating speakers. These speakers are placed above a magnetic stand that keep them stable while levitating above them. They can easily be spun around too. These Bluetooth enabled speakers also have a USB port in the base stand. This is one cool toy to have next to your lava lamp and trippy posters.

5.    4K Blu-Ray Discs:

This is something that a lot of folks were waiting for, a disc that does justice to the resolutions of the expensive 4K displays that people have been buying lately. It will be a boon in countries like India with crawling internet speeds where 4K streaming is just not possible at least for a considerable future. There is an added advantage to using physical discs instead of depending on the internet that can be disrupted because of a number of causes. The exciting bit of these discs will be their compatibility with the present Blu-Ray players, so it doesn’t add the excess cost of buying a new player. Blu-ray is one of the last remaining physical content delivery mechanisms, and this 4K push will keep it valid for a while.

September 9, 2014
T-Mobile Sues Huawei for Stealing Phone-Testing Robot Technology

T-mobile is suing Chinese equipment makers Huawei claiming that some of its employees tried to infiltrate the premises of the phone company to steal propriety technology. At the center of the dispute is the phone testing robot. T-Mobile states that Huawei made millions in profits using their technology.

T-mobile claims that Huawei’s representatives took multiple photographs of their testing equipment. It is also said that those staffers also replace parts and tried to break into the facilities when they were banned from the premises.

However, Huawei isn’t showing a belligerent stance. The company says that they have information about the incidents and the people responsible for the illegal activities have been fired from their company.

Corporate espionage is a menace that exists everywhere. In an era of cut throat competition, profits can be made using the slightest advantages over the competition and this is what the companies look to gain. It is unsure if the people responsible for the break-in were directed by their higher-ups, but Huawei’s confession will make this case a short-lived inconvenience for both companies.

September 8, 2014